Asus may be considering some pretty extreme measures to deal with the global memory shortage that is currently making laptops more expensive. While the company has officially denied any plans to start its own RAM production line, the rumor mill is abuzz that the Taiwanese giant could still be thinking about producing its own DRAM as early as 2026. The goal? Finally no longer be at the mercy of the three major storage providers.
At the root of the problem is a massive shift in the way the world’s largest memory makers – Samsung, Micron and SK Hynix – spend their time. They’re currently obsessed with highly profitable AI data centers, which means they’re making fewer DDR4 and DDR5 sticks for the PCs we actually buy. As supply is low and demand continues, prices have skyrocketed.
For a company like Asus, this is a nightmare
Along with brands like Dell and Framework, Asus is already preparing to increase laptop prices to cover these additional costs. The problem is that even a big brand like Asus doesn’t have much leverage to negotiate a better deal because memory suppliers prioritize their large enterprise customers.
According to a report from Persian IT company Sakhtafzarmag cited by Wccftech, Asus may be considering opening its own DRAM factories in 2026. If this actually happens, it would be a big change. Asus usually designs and assembles the hardware, but for the “brain” parts like memory, they have always relied on outsiders.
There’s definitely a lot at stake
Asus has it all covered – from high-end ROG gaming laptops to graphics cards and motherboards. All of these products require RAM or VRAM, and the cost continues to rise.
Of course there is a lot of skepticism about this. DRAM is incredibly expensive to produce, technically difficult, and the current market leaders have a decades-long lead. Even if Asus were to build a factory, they might still have to buy the base modules from the competition, which wouldn’t really help lower prices in the short term.
Another option could be to look for new partners. A Chinese company called CMXT recently surprised everyone by introducing its own LPDDR5X and DDR5 products that could rival the big giants. However, they face their own problems with limited capacity and US trade restrictions.
For anyone looking to buy a new laptop, the news isn’t particularly good. Higher prices seem like a safe bet for now, and SK Hynix has even warned that this memory shortage could last until 2028. Whether Asus builds its own chips or simply continues to pass the costs on to us, the next two years are going to be a wild ride for the PC market.
